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Chapter 32 - A Powerful Ally (CF)
“What is she doing here?” Tubba exclaimed with anger surging into his tone. A joyous relationship with the Clubbas who would now look to him to lead them in reclaiming their rightful land, and then meeting with the friends that they had left in the Place of the Unruly - Paralus, who had risen to be their leader, Blizzerd, who had resisted everything Ludwig could throw at him, Shazam and Aaron, Xavier and Gamma, Sarge and Mud, filling Tubba with happiness - until he saw Clubbette. His treacherous half-sister was here to ruin the day again. Memories flashed through his mind, from her fight against him in the Glitz Pit, designed to be rigged in her favour, to her betrayal of every Clubba that had ever lived in Barrel Volcano.To his surprise, Paralus stepped in front of her, his eyes shadowed with challenge of Tubba. “Tubba, I know what you think of Clubbette.” Paralus cautioned, placing a big orange hand out to stop Tubba’s movements toward his half-sister. “But let me ask you - where would you be if I hadn’t forgiven you? If my mother hadn’t forgiven you?” Paralus flicked his head in the direction of the red Clubba he had introduced to be his mother - Bubba’s mother. “She doesn’t deserve my forgiveness,” Tubba leered at Paralus. “She doesn’t deserve the forgiveness of the all the Clubbas she betrayed by enabling Ludwig’s takeover in 2016. This is my turf. This is my Kingdom. She was the illegitimate child of my father, this isn’t her Kingdom to give up or fight for!” Tubba couldn’t believe that Paralus was falling into the trap. Clubbette would turn around and double cross them at the next turn, such was Clubbette’s nature. “And if you didn’t deserve the entire Kingdom’s forgiveness?” Paralus countered calmly, infuriating Tubba. The orange Clubba was too young, too inexperienced, he couldn’t see what was right in front of his nostrils. “Let the grudge go, Tubba.” “No!” Tubba snapped ferociously, feeling fury surge through his limbs. How dare Paralus lecture him about forgiveness? Did Paralus know what Tubba had gone through, being betrayed by the closest members of his family, from his twin brother to his half-sister? “It’s easy to spew words, Paralus,” Tubba snarled, “but it’s not easy to understand some people are better not forgiven. Clubbette is one of those.” “I don’t believe that.” Paralus stepped firmly in front of Clubbette, shielding her from Tubba’s enraged gaze. “If she goes, so do I.” A long pause. Tubba didn’t want to let the loyal orange Clubba go, but he could not stomach Clubbette’s inevitable double-crossing and betrayal. If there was a way to get her out of the way, but still keep Paralus on his side... an idea began to percolate in his head, the perfect idea. It would also make Paralus the recipient of Clubbette’s treacherous actions, allowing the young Clubba to learn that some Clubbas were best left not trusted. “On your head, then, Paralus.” Tubba grunted, breaking the silence. “We have to split up. We are simply not going to be able to take the Castle before the Koopan reinforcements show up.” It was not an arrant lie, but Tubba knew it was quite possible that they could overhaul the Castle before the Koopan reinforcements arrived. The issue would be holding the Castle when the reinforcements showed up. It would pass from hand to hand if they did not have sufficient solidity in Gusty Gulch. “We need to ask for help from the Mushrooms.” Uproar erupted, the Clubbas amassing behind their King yelling their disapproval at his suggestion. Tubba waited for it to die down enough to be heard, before raising his voice: “I understand your reluctance at embracing those who were our enemies barely a half-decade ago, and were a contributing cause to the Koopas taking over our lands, because of their greed for the resources of Gusty Gulch, forcing us to ally with the Koopas with the intention of double crossing them - which, the double crossers were double crossed.” Tubba glared at Clubbette, making sure she felt the power of his glare and hatred. He was pleased to see her shift uncomfortably as the Clubbas followed his gaze and glared in unison at their Koopan ward. “Have you considered, though, that same greed may be useful in allying ourselves with them?” Tubba knew he had captivated the audience’s attention. “If we give them Nimbus Land back, the skies directly south of here, they’ll help us reclaim Gusty Gulch, and we take the lands below Nimbus Land as well our independence.” Rather than uproarious dissent, Tubba could see that the Clubbas were discussing among themselves. “Surely, giving up some of the land we have claimed in exchange for a powerful ally, one that will share all our borders when we are done reclaiming Gusty Gulch is not an abhorrent move? We must do what we can.” Tubba finished, knowing that he had won his Clubbas over. Turning over to his friends amassing beside him, Tubba began to bark out orders. “Galmajo!” Tubba called the yellow-robed Magikoopa, who was lingering closer to the back of the pack. “You’ll go with Kremstag, Mud,” Tubba listed off, calling the brown Kritter, who was awkwardly standing next to Tubba’s group of friends, and the Bandit, whose eyes below his mask were bright and eager for action, “Paralus, Clubbette,” Tubba purposefully lumped Paralus in with Clubbette so that the orange Clubba would be at the heart of her betrayal, allowing him to learn. “And Blizzerd, you’ll head the party. The rest of you,” Tubba counted out Shazam, Aaron, Xavier, Dibby and Gamma. “You’ll be with me.” As the groups split and assembled, Blizzerd halted next to Tubba. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you? You want Clubbette out of the way.” The dark look in Blizzerd’s black eyes told Tubba that it was worthless lying, for Blizzerd had already guessed. “I’ve been double crossed too many times, Blizzerd.” Tubba shrugged, feeling a sense of resignation as he remembered his inability to stop the takeover of 2016. “I’m not making the same mistake of trusting her. I trust you, though, Blizzerd. You’ll make sure she can’t derail our plans this time?” There was never any doubt - with Gonzales dead, Blizzerd was Tubba’s best friend and the person he could rely on the most. * It took a few hours for the group led by Blizzerd to reach the outskirts of the Mushroom Kingdom. Despite Blizzerd’s wanted status from the debacle that was the 2016 Battle of Gusty Gulch, the Mushrooms at the borders seemed to understand the urgency of the situation, and provided that they had sufficient guard around Blizzerd, allowed him a meeting with a representative of the Mushroom Kingdom just outside Forever Forest. Neither King Mario nor Queen Peach was interested in dabbling with the conflict themselves, in their elderly years, so the Toad that Blizzerd and his group met with was a general known as Tyrone Toadal. General Toadal was a taller Toad with a blue-spotted cap and vest adorned with military medals, as well as an archaic pipe eternally in his mouth, puffing out smoke rings at regular intervals. His beard had been shaved, but gray stubble poked out from under his chin, although none of the Clubban allies were comfortable mentioning it, for Toadal had a yellow glare of doom for any who dared point out his age. Tubba had warned Blizzerd to aim high in the negotiations with Toadal, demanding initially that they assist them with no repayment, and then deciding to give them a portion of Nimbus Land, before finally settling on the entirety of Nimbus Land. To Blizzerd’s surprise, the plan worked like a charm: Toadal, as the representative of Peach and Mario, agreed to assist the Clubbas chase the Koopas out of Gusty Gulch and the surrounding areas, on a few contingencies. The first, the Mushrooms would receive Nimbus Land upon the defeat and chase of the Koopas down to the ring of the Koopalps mountains which signified the inner Koopan territory. The second, the Mushrooms would not be subject to any Clubba violence or expansion immediately after the battle of Gusty Gulch was won. This was something Blizzerd was positive Tubba would agree to, and so he agreed as a representative of Tubba. The third, however, was nothing that Blizzerd expected. If the Mushroom Kingdom was to send a few airships to assist the Clubbas in the likely air battle against the Koopas, a few of the Clubban allies would have to accompany the Mushrooms to the Waffle Kingdom, where the Koopa-allied Zaz Kingdom were making aggressive advances on the Waffles, the closest ally of the Mushrooms, Sarasalanders and Beans. Gusty Gulch could be the spark to ignite a world war, with the Koopas drawing the Mushrooms and Clubbas in conflict. Blizzerd was reluctant to agree to this contingency, but Kremstag interrupted him: “Of course!” The brown Kritter had snarled, “of course we’ll come along and give those Zazites the sound thrashing they deserve!” Before Blizzerd could bring up his various doubts, including that a handful of Clubban allies would hardly be what the Mushroom Kingdom required, Kremstag continued. “There’s an island north of the Waffle Kingdom - Roolkrim - that we Kritters have been looking to recover. That must be why they took Roolkrim, to launch their eventual attack on the Waffle Kingdom. I’ve stationed battalions of Kritters around that area, I’d be happy to lead them alongside the Mushrooms, provided we share Roolkrim afterwards.” Toadal had agreed, but Blizzerd knew he could not allow Kremstag to go alone to the Waffle Kingdom. It would be contrary to what the brown Kritter had given up to join Tubba and the fight at Gusty Gulch to just abandon him at the Waffle Kingdom, fighting his own lone battle. “No, Kremstag,” Blizzerd argued, “you’re not going alone. Galmajo, Mud and myself will go with you.” Blizzerd knew that Tubba would rather have Blizzerd by his side as he fought to reclaim Gusty Gulch, but Blizzerd satisfied himself knowing that Paralus would be returning to Gusty Gulch. The orange Clubba was a natural leader, and would be the favourite to be named Commander of the Armies when Tubba took over. It was only after the two groups of airships, flying in opposite directions parted ways that Blizzerd realized the order Tubba had given him: Keep a guard and a tight eye on Clubbette, and don’t let her return without a guard, and that guard should not be Paralus.